I bought the Squier VM Jaguar Bass Special for 3 reasons:1) VERY affordable.2) Pickup combination and boost circuit (active).3) Transparent red finish and Jaguar body (my wife ... read more [+]picked it out for me).I was very pleased by the condition of the bass right out of the box. I liked the fit and finish very much, and the bass is very light (the lightest of 8 basses I currently own). No damage or quality issues to report.Right from the box, the setup was playable but not to my liking. I had to lower the action and intonate it; I replaced the stock strings with DR High Beams, and WOW! This bass plays and sounds incredible and can be adjusted to sound like either a P bass, J bass or an awesome combination of both. Add some boost from the active circuitry and the bottom end fills out very nicely even with medium/light gauge strings.I'm not happy with 2 things about this bass though:1) The balance is not great - the bass is a little headstock heavy and will drop if I let go the neck.2) The active boost works great on the E and A strings, but thins out on the D and G strings.Overall this is a great bass for the money. Quality and sound are above average for a bass this affordable, it sounds and plays excellently; plenty of presence and tone. Hats off to Squier again for another quality bass guitar. Worth the money - check it out!

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Most Liked Negative Review

Great Idea gone wrong

The first bass had flaws in the finish and the second was assembled poorly. The action on both was very high and bridge was mounted way out of center.

The first bass had flaws in the finish and the second was assembled poorly. The action on both was very high and bridge was mounted way out of center.

I greatly enjoy this bass simply because its a fun instrument to play. The neck is fast and has a good smooth action on it, It's a hybrid so you get the best of both worlds when you play it (P-bass/Jazz bass). I just need to remember to unplug it whenever I finish playing it so I don't kill the battery for the active pick-ups. Its a great go to bass and the price was a steal.

Loved the 3-tone sunburst. The extra bass boost with the battery is magnificent! Make sure to disconnect the cable from the bass when not in use. This will kill the battery if left in. I would install a new, fresh battery before any gig. You wouldn't want it cutting out on a gig. Plan ahead. I always keep a few new extra 9-volt batteries in the bass case!

i played one of these basses at a local music store and was very impressed with the feel, tone and quility of the instrument. so to avoid sales tax i order one from m.f. just got it delivered tonight. i was impressed with the looks of it right out of the box. i got the three tone sunburst and the finish is flawless. no wrinkles or blotches. the strings were loose, so i tuned it up and check the intonation at the 12TH fret and it was dead on. the sustain is incretable all the way down the neck to the last fret not one dead spot or muted note. the neck is thin and fast, narrow at the nut like a jazz bass and not too wide at the body and no string buzz. i have small hands so this is just made for me. the setup was perfect right out of the box. first impression. i love this bass. i had a fender pj bass once with the same pick up configuration, and a jazz neck, american made. today they call it a modified p bass, i think. this bass is every bit as good. i would play this bass on any stage, anytime, anywhere with out embarrassment. for the money you can't beat the bass. i am 63. i have had a lot of basses in my life. this one is ranked in the top 3. the only con i have is minor. it is an active bass and it did come with a battery, but the battery was dead. no bigie. a new battery and it was good to go. i have never owned an active guitar before so i did realize it would play at all without a battery. it didn't come with an owner manual no bigie either i just like having one and i can't find one on line. other wise i'm tickled pink.

I love this bass. Any sound you could want in one guitar, from deep, rich P-bass to warm, punchy Jazz bass. A beautiful, well-made guitar at a great price point. I'm looking forward to many years of enjoyment from this guitar.

My main instrument is guitar, but I bought this bass so I can play in a couple of side projects. It arrived in playable condition, although I did make some minor adjustments. The strings were quite high off the fretboard.

With the pickup setup it's really easy to dial in a lot of different sounds.

It's a nice looking low-priced instrument that plays well. I use it to play music in a rock band in small to medium sized venues and it sounds good.

I bought this bass as an extra to keep round wound strings on after I switched to flats on my primary bass. I'd read the great reviews and the price was phenomenal, so I decided to give it a shot. Straight out of the box the bass was good-playable and pretty. I made some slight truss rod adjustments and lowered the action according to the specs on the Fender website, but that's easy (hint: buy an inexpensive set of automotive feeler gauges). The finish is good, the neck is straight and fast, the frets seem well-finished, the tuners stay in tune, and the electronics are solid. I did switch out the neck pickup for a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound, but that'd just because I already had it and knew I liked the tone it produced.I never used the bridge pickup in my main p/j bass, but on the Jaguar I find that if I kill the neck pickup, max out the bridge, roll the tone about half way down and use the bass boost at about 25% I get a really good funk tone. This makes the bass *very* versatile. So far I have nothing but great things to say about this bass. Highly recommended.

Great sound, Great electronics, Great feel. Fast neck and active electronics. Don't be fool by the brand. This is a real Fender. Not as popular as the Precision or Jazz bass but a way better deal and equal sound, I have both and I must say I like this Jaguar better. I would buy another tomorrow for back up. It's like that! Try it!

I've had this bass for about 2 years now...love it!!! Sounds just as good, if not better than basses 2 or 3 times the cost... Love the jazz/p pickup combo on this bass, love the slim neck, great playability

I had this bass for a few months and used it to record, so I'd only heard it through headphones. I was satisfied with that. I finally took it out and played it through a 300 watt Fender combo with a 15 inch speaker- all I can say is WOW. Very powerful tone, tons of variety in the sound- from full-body-massage reggae with the P-pickup to slappy disco knockoff on the J-bass pickup. I did put on new strings, of course, but the setup is otherwise as it came in the box. Fit and finish are really good. The tuners feel a little stiff, but they work and the bass stays in tune almost indefinitely. There are no instructions as to what the four knobs do, but here's the deal: top to bottom, neck pickup volume/bridge pickup volume/presence/tone. I'm very, very satisfied.

This is a great overall bass, at an excellent price. The tone and electronics a far superior to the other bass I own, which was made by Axl. I would definitely recommend this bass for beginners or professionals.